This is a list of notable women, either famous themselves or closely associated with someone well known, who suffered maternal death as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO):
"the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes."
Note that this wording includes abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, and ectopic pregnancy. Generally, there is a distinction between a direct maternal death that is the result of a complication of the pregnancy, delivery, or management of the two, and an indirect maternal death that is a pregnancy-related death in a woman with a pre-existing or newly developed health problem unrelated to pregnancy. Fatalities during but unrelated to a pregnancy are termed accidental, incidental, or non-obstetrical maternal deaths.
However, the WHO definition is only one of many; other definitions may include accidental and incidental causes. Cases with "incidental causes" include deaths secondary to violence against women that may be related to the pregnancy and be affected by the socioeconomic and cultural environment. Also, it has been reported that about 10% of maternal deaths may occur late, that is after 42 days after a termination or delivery; thus, some definitions extend the period of observation to one year after the end of gestation.
Ireland
Ann Lovett (1984), unmarried teenage mother whose death sparked a national debate
Julia Cornelia (104 BC), daughter of consul Lucius Julius Caesar II
Caecilia Metella Balearica (89 BC), second daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Balearicus
Aemilia Scaura (82 BC) was the daughter of the patrician Roman Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
Julia (54 BC), daughter of Julius Caesar
Galla (394), wife of Theodosius I.
Yolande Palaiologina (1342), daughter of Theodore I, Marquess of Montferrat
Beatrice d'Este (1497), wife of Lodovico Sforza.
Lucrezia Borgia (1519), daughter of Pope Alexander VI,
Marietta Robusti (1590), 16th-century artist and daughter of the artist Jacopo Tintoretto
Catherine Michelle of Spain (1597), daughter of Philip II of Spain and Elisabeth of Valois
Isabella of Savoy (1626), a daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy
Maria Caterina Farnese (1646) first wife of Francesco I d'Este, Duke of Modena
Vittoria Farnese (1649), daughter of Ranuccio I Farnese, niece of Pope Clement VIII
Princess Margaret Yolande of Savoy (1663), Duchess of Parma
Isabella d'Este, (1666) second wife of Ranuccio II Farnese, Duke of Parma
Princess Charlotte Felicity of Brunswick (1710), died in Modena, wife of Rinaldo d'Este, Duke of Modena
Anne Christine of Sulzbach (1723)
Princess Luisa of Naples and Sicily (1802), died in Vienna; wife of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (1807), the eldest daughter of Ferdinand IV & III of Naples and Sicily
Maria Cristina of Savoy (1836), the first Queen consort of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies.
Charlotte Napoléone Bonaparte (1839), daughter of Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Emperor Napoleon I
Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1882)
Gianna Beretta Molla (1962), pediatrician who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004.
Fujiwara no Teishi (1001), wife of Emperor Ichijō
Julia Pastrana (1860), born with hypertrichosis, who took part in exhibition tours in North America and Europe because of her unusual appearance.
Princess Zorka of Montenegro (1890), mother of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
The Netherlands
Anna Maria de Bruyn (1744), ballet dancer and stage actor
Suzanna Sablairolles (1867), stage actor
C.C. van Asch van Wijck (1900–1932), sculptor
Christina of Norway (1213), Princess of Norway
Margaret of Scotland (Queen of Norway) (1283), after giving birth to Margaret, Maid of Norway
Stateira I (332 BCE), Queen of Persia and wife of Darius III, died in captivity.
Poland
Agnes of Silesia-Liegnitz (1265), after caesarean section
Jadwiga of Poland (1399), monarch of Poland
Barbara Zápolya (1515), queen of Poland
Emilia Wojtyła (1929), mother of Pope John Paul II.
Berengaria of Portugal (1221), Queen consort of Denmark
Constanza Manuel (1345), wife of Peter I of Portugal
Isabella of Asturias (1498), married Afonso of Portugal and Manuel I of Portugal
Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1517)
Beatrice of Portugal, Duchess of Savoy (1538)
Maria Manuela of Portugal (1545), daughter of King John III of Portugal and his wife Catherine of Austria.
Maria Isabel of Portugal (1818), Queen of Spain as the second wife of Ferdinand VII of Spain.
Queen Maria II of Portugal (1853)
Agafya Grushetskaya (1681), the first wife of Tsar Feodor III of Russia
Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1715), consort of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia
Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (1728), daughter of Catherine I of Russia and mother of Peter III of Russia
Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia (1746), regent of Russia and mother of Ivan VI of Russia
Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna of Russia (1776) first daughter in law of Catherine II of Russia the child was stillborn
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia (1801), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and archduchess of Austria as consort of Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary
Praskovia Kovalyova-Zhemchugova (1803), opera singer and actress
Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia (1844) was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas I, Emperor of Russia, and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Prussia
Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia (1845) daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg
Daria Konstantinowa Opotschinina (1870) was the granddaughter of Mikhail Kutuzov and countess of Beauharnais
Alexandra Georgievna of Greece and Denmark, (1891) consort of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia
Urraca of León and Castile (1126), Queen regnant of León, Castile, and Galicia
Blanche of Navarre (1156), wife of the future King Sancho III of Castile
Zaida of Seville (c.1171), a mistress of Alfonso VI of Castile
Teresa d'Entença (1327), Queen consort of Aragon by her marriage to King Alfonso IV of Aragon
Elisabeth of Valois (1568), third wife of Philip II of Spain
Margarita Teresa of Spain (1673)
Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1746), wife of Louis Ferdinand, Dauphin of France
Mercedes, Princess of Asturias (1904)
Benedicta Ebbesdotter of Hvide (1200), queen consort of King Sverker II of Sweden.
Ingeborg Eriksdotter of Sweden (1254), princess and the mother of the king
Christiana Oxenstierna (1701), noble
Hedvig Taube (1744), royal mistress, salonist
Carin du Rietz (1788), adventurer
Anna Charlotta Schröderhiem (1791), salonist and socialite
Emilie Hammarskjöld (1854), composer, musician, member of the Royal Swedish academy of Music
Emilia Uggla (1855), pianist
Great Britain and Ireland
Isabel Marshal (1240), an English countess; a great grandparent of Robert the Bruce of Scotland.
Isabella of England (1241), was an English princess and, by marriage, Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, and Queen consort of Sicily.
Eleanor de Braose (1251), a Cambro-Norman noblewoman.
Eleanor de Montfort (1282), Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon
Isabella of Mar (1296), first wife of Robert I of Scotland, after delivering Marjorie Bruce, who also died in childbirth
Marjorie Bruce (1316), after delivering the future Robert II of Scotland
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1316), daughter of King Edward I and Eleanor of Castile.
Mary de Bohun (1394), first wife of Henry IV of England and mother of Henry V
Anne de Mortimer (1411), Countess of Cambridge, died giving birth to Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Anne of York, Duchess of Exeter (1476)
Elizabeth of York (1503), queen of Henry VII of England and mother of Henry VIII
Jane Seymour (1537), third wife of Henry VIII of England, after delivering Edward VI
Catherine Parr (1548), sixth wife of Henry VIII of England
Jane Browne, Viscountess Montague (1552), a noblewoman.
Elizabeth Cecil, 16th Baroness de Ros (1591) daughter and heir of Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland
Margaret Butler (1632), daughter of Thomas Butler, 2nd Baron Cahir and wife of Edmond Butler, 3rd/13th Baron Dunboyne.
Mary Digby (1648), daughter of John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol and 2nd wife of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall (1606–1674) to whom she bore six sons and one daughter. Died giving birth to a second daughter (stillborn). She was buried in Eggesford Church, Devon, where is situated her memorial effigy.
Lady Mary Butler (1713), second daughter of the 2nd Duke of Ormonde
Maria, Lady Walpole (1738), second wife of Prime Minister Robert Walpole
Mary Wollstonecraft (1797), author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, after delivering Mary Shelley
Hester Anne Children (1800), from delivering Anna Atkins an English botanist and photographer.
Mary Hamilton (c 1800), wife of William Allen (Quaker), after delivering Mary Allen who also died in childbirth.
Ann Griffiths (née Thomas) (1805), a Welsh poet and writer of Methodist Christian hymns.
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales (1817), only legitimate child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. The obstetrician later committed suicide.
Mary Allen (1823), the daughter of William Allen (Quaker) and Mary Hamilton who had died giving birth to her.
Ellen Turner of Pott Shrigley (1831), a wealthy heiress who had previously been kidnapped by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and forced to marry him.
Sophia Sidney, Baroness De L'Isle and Dudley (1837), eldest daughter of William IV and his longtime mistress Dorothea Jordan.
Joanna Mary Boyce (1861), a painter.
Harriet Kenrick (1863), the mother of Austen Chamberlain, statesman and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
Isabella Beeton (1865), author of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mary Shield Bell (1871), the mother of Gertrude Bell, traveller and diplomat
Florence Kenrick (1875), mother of Neville Chamberlain, prime minister
the mother of Michael Dillon (1915), an early female-to-male transsexual
Olivia Burges (1930), secretary to the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts first World Camp.
Pauline Gower (1947), married name Pauline Fahie, a pilot who headed the female branch of the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. Died giving birth to twin sons
Savita Halappanavar (2012), her death caused widespread outrage after doctors refused to terminate her 17-week-long pregnancy, and ignited protests and debate on Irish abortion laws.
Mary Forth (1615), wife of John Winthrop
Thomasine Clopton (1616), wife of John Winthrop
Mary (Norris) Allerton (1621), a Mayflower passenger
Kalanipauahi (1826), Hawaiian queen consort/princess and a member of the House of Kamehameha
Sarah Lincoln Grigsby (1828), sister of president Abraham Lincoln
Minnie Warren (1878), an entertainer
Mary Nowak (1883), mother of Leon Frank Czolgosz (1873 –1901), the assassin of U.S. President William McKinley
Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt (1884), first wife of Theodore Roosevelt
Benita Rosalind Guggenheim (1927), sister of Peggy Guggenheim
Margery Latimer (1932), writer and first wife of Jean Toomer
Edith Roberts, actress, vaudevillian (1935)
Marjorie Oelrichs (1937), socialite
Cecilia Mettler (1943), medical historian
Martina von Trapp (1951), was a member of the Trapp Family Singers
Nadine Shamir (2004), singer/songwriter
Fawziya Ammodi (2009), child bride
List of women who died in childbirth Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
